The influence of hunger during the first 15 years of life on socioeconomic position and work ability at age 50 and over

Globally, over 27 million children experience severe food insecurity. While substantial evidence highlights the impact of childhood hunger on human capital accumulation in early adulthood, less is known about its impact in later life. Given the rapid increase in population aging and the growing demand for human capital to support longer working lives and societal prosperity, this study examined the association between hunger in the first 15 years of life/childhood hunger and two dimensions of human capital – socioeconomic position (SEP) and work ability – among older adults in Brazil. A cross-sectional secondary analysis using data from the second wave of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSI-Brazil 2019–2021), a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling individuals aged 50 years and older, was conducted. Four outcomes were evaluated: achieved schooling, per capita household income, household wealth, and self-perceived work ability. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the association between childhood hunger and the three former outcomes, while a multiple Poisson regression model was applied for the latter. Individuals exposed to hunger in the first 15 years had lower levels of achieved schooling (β: -0.73; 95% CI: -1.04, -0.41), per capita household income (β: -185.34; 95% CI: -281.59, -89.10), and household wealth (β: -0.33; 95% CI: -0.48, -0.18) in later life. They also showed a 12% higher prevalence (95% CI: 1.04, 1.21) of poor self-perceived work ability. Hunger in the first 15 years of life is associated with reduced SEP and work ability at age 50 and older. In other words, childhood hunger limits individuals’ lifelong capacity to flourish.